How to install a plugin on a Minecraft server

Installing a plugin on a Paper server takes four actions: download the `.jar` from the project's official page, put it into `plugins/`, restart the server and check with `/plugins` that it loaded. Its settings appear in plugins/<PluginName>/config.yml after the first start.

Everything else is the details people trip over: the wrong version, the wrong Java, a missing dependency, or /reload instead of a restart. Which plugins to install first is covered in essential server plugins.

Before you install: server software and version#

• Plugins, not mods. Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins run on Paper and its forks — Leaf, Purpur. Forge and Fabric mods won't run on Paper; if you need mods, see modded servers.
• Minecraft version. The plugin's page lists the versions it supports. On Modrinth and Hangar you see it on every file; after moving the server to a new version, check every plugin again.
• Platform. Proxy plugins (Velocity, BungeeCord) won't load on Paper, and the other way round. The plugin's page shows which platforms have files.
• Java. Paper 1.20–1.21.11 requires Java 21, and 26.1 and newer require Java 25. The server won't load a plugin built for a newer Java than yours.

Step by step#

1. 1

   Download the plugin from its official page

   Hangar (Paper's plugin repository), Modrinth, SpigotMC, the project's own GitHub or website. The file must end in .jar; if you got a .zip, extract it and take the .jar for your platform — usually labelled bukkit or paper.

2. 2

   Put the .jar into plugins/

   The plugins/ folder sits next to the server jar. Put the file directly in it: the server doesn't look inside subfolders. Keep one version of each plugin — delete the old file.

3. 3

   Restart the server

   Stop the server with stop and start it again, or use the restart button in your host's panel. The plugin loads on startup.

4. 4

   Check that it works

   Run /plugins in game (or plugins in the console): enabled plugins are green, disabled ones red. /version <Plugin> shows its version and authors.

5. 5

   Configure it

   On first start the plugin creates plugins/<PluginName>/ with a config.yml. Edit it, then apply the changes with the plugin's own reload command if it has one, or restart the server.

Why not /reload#

Paper itself talks you out of /reload: the command asks for confirmation and warns that reloading may cause bugs and memory leaks, that restarting is recommended, and that the command will be removed soon. A reload doesn't unload plugins cleanly: some old state stays in memory, which is where the leaks and hard-to-trace bugs come from.

Plugins that hook into the network layer suffer most: PacketEvents, ViaVersion, anticheats. The ViaVersion developers say outright that a reboot is much better than a reload, and that their plugin won't work properly with plugin managers. The rule is simple: new plugin or new version — restart; changed config — the plugin's own reload command (/co reload, /dguard reload and so on).

Dependencies#

Many plugins build on others and won't enable without them. The server says so in the console on startup — for example, Unknown/missing dependency plugins: [Vault] means you need to install Vault first. Common pairs:

Example: installing the DGuard anticheat#

Here's a real example with a dependency and a license key. DGuard runs on Paper and Leaf 1.21–26.3; the main version is 1.21.11, where DGuard is tested and runs on production servers — the others are supported but haven't been run on production servers yet. Java: 21 or newer for 1.21.x and 25 or newer for 26.x — Paper itself requires it.

1. 1

   Get a key

   Sign up and add a server in the panel — it gives you a dg_… license key. Free: one server with up to 30 players online. The key is shown once, so copy it right away.

2. 2

   Install PacketEvents

   DGuard reads packets through the PacketEvents plugin and runs on its latest release only. Download it from Modrinth and put it into plugins/. Developer builds (dev, SNAPSHOT) won't do.

3. 3

   Add DGuard.jar and paste the key

   DGuard.jar goes into plugins/ too. Paste the key into plugins/DGuard/config.yml, the license.key field. No file yet? Start the server once and DGuard creates it.

4. 4

   Restart the server

   DGuard checks the key and connects to the site — the panel shows the server as Online. To check from the console, run /dguard license.

license:
  key: "dg_…"

From then on DGuard updates itself: a new version downloads in the background and installs on the next restart, and /dguard update checks right away. On a BungeeCord or Velocity network, DGuard goes on every game server, each with its own key. Requirements and fixes are on the DGuard install page.

How to update a plugin#

1. 1Read the changelog on the plugin's page: major versions sometimes change the config or need a newer server.
2. 2Back up at least the plugin's folder — especially if it holds a database (like LuckPerms or CoreProtect).
3. 3Stop the server, delete the old .jar and add the new one. Two versions of one plugin in plugins/ is a classic cause of errors.
4. 4Start the server and check the console and /plugins.

Some plugins update themselves, like DGuard. For the rest, it's worth going through the list once a month and comparing versions with the official pages.

How to remove a plugin#

Stop the server and delete the .jar from plugins/. The plugins/<PluginName>/ folder with its config and data stays — delete it if you're done with the plugin, keep it if you might come back. Before removing, check whether anything depends on it: a plugin that needs it won't enable on the next start.

The plugin won't load#

The answer is almost always in the console or in logs/latest.log. Find the lines with the plugin's name: the first line or two of the error is usually enough.

FAQ#